The Under $100 Slim Toe Work Boot

Alfani Viking Work Boot – $69.99 (reg. $99.99) | ASOS Lace and Zip Boots – $92.65

Details Magazine already called the modern American work boot as a trend to watch for this fall.  As a guy who spent a lot of his formative years outdoors, a good pair of work boots is something I’d feel weird without.  And I also feel weird about using “Details Magazine” and “Work Boot” in the same paragraph.

This style of work boot isn’t waterproof, they aren’t big time hikers, and they’re not even steel toed.  They’re the kind of boots you wear on fall or winter weekends, or when you’re taking a short trip up to the mountains.  Somewhere between desert boots and Sorels lies the kind of boot you’re looking for.

I know what some of you more grizzled types are saying:  “What the hell kind of WORK can you do in a non-waterproof soft and slim toe boot anyway?”  Relax tough guy.  Not everyone bench presses dead bear carcasses on the weekends like you do.  Sometimes a boot can be just a boot.

What you want is a pair that have a slim (but not pointy) toe, enough height that it covers all of your ankle, and laces.  Not elastic gore sides, not just zippers, but laces.

They will treat you well.  You will get them dirty, and scuffed, and they along with you, will look all the better for it.

ASOS Work Boot also available in black: